SMB Owners – This One’s For You

For those mumbling to yourself, “what the Hell do I know about writing?”

Shortly after I became a content copywriter, I became curious if the rules for content writing are different for small and medium business (SMB) owners. I have noticed that there is not nearly as much content directed at SMB content writers. So, I have decided that it is high time to serve this underserved segment.

Master-Minding Your Campaign

Before you write a single word, prepare yourself by:

Know Your Goal – What are you hoping your content will accomplish? Is the purpose of your piece generating high-quality leads? Or perhaps accelerating your brand development, or building your reputation as a “thought leader”? Whatever you choose, it is your focus and should be in the front part of your mind as you plan and create.

Disconnect Before Creating – Try to schedule your writing duties to a time when you have peace and quiet or when you have the least interruptions. Distraction is my personal nemesis. So I disconnect from social media, turn the cell phone off, and whatever I can to do to enhance my focus.

Temper Your Work with a Popular Theme – Game of Thrones has been the darlings of the world for several years now. Are there any similarities or situations that could be used as an analogy in your piece? The possibilities are endless – current events, sci-fi, music, movies, sports, even a personal experience.

Let the Creation Process Begin!

A few things to keep in mind as you write:

The Two Vital Rules of Content Writing – Rule #1 – Never edit as you write! Rule #2 – Always refer to Rule #1. No matter how tempted you are re-read your work and delete it – be strong! You’ll save time and your work will be more cohesive.

Don’t Forget Your Goal – Remember to always keep it in mind.

Clarity is King in the Realm of Content –The majority of content, regardless of how it is delivered, is scanned. So, you need to keep your sentences short and easy to understand. Make your piece scannable by using creative spacing. The use of white space in between your thoughts makes it easier to visually scan it.

Putting Your Soul Into It – No, this doesn’t mean to have an out of body experience. Put yourself into your stories. Write like the topic means something to you. Too many people forget their primary objective – you do remember the goal, right? Express an opinion, personalize it by writing from the heart. Simply put yourself into your work. Readers will return because they like your voice.

The Beginning of The End

First impressions are lasting ones. We try so hard in this business to win new readers, that it is imperative that you proofread your work several times before publishing. You certainly want to leave an impression on your new readers. You just don’t want it to be a bad one. Keep these things in mind on the pathway to publishing:

Congratulations to those of you who controlled your impulses and didn’t edit your work during writing. So, knowing that you are chomping at the bit, you may start editing and deleting. This is where you make a cohesive story out of what’s on the paper.

Look for ways you can improve the piece. Make it clearer, or use soft humor to your advantage. Spice up how the content is presented, or use a thesaurus to find a more interesting word.

Read final proof over twice. If you can’t find anything else to change, you are ready for the digital age to give you a big lift. What if I told you that your work will forever be grammatically correct, and best of all it will be free? Too good to be true, eh? Grammarly is a free online editing tool where you can paste your work into it and it will automatically highlight mistakes and explain why it was wrong so you can learn from the experience.

Once you’ve run it through Grammarly, you may want to also put it thru the Hemingway Editor. Hemmingway evaluates your work and points out lengthy complex sentences. It suggests shorter words and protects against overuse of adverbs. Suggested changes are highlighted by one of five different colors. These two tools can make anyone a better writer instantly.

You are now ready to publish. Best of luck to you, copywriting brothers and sisters.

Famous Last Words

The golden rule for every business man is this: put yourself in your customer’s place. – Orison Swett Marden

The Hank Moody School of Creative Writing

Imagination is essential to Storytelling. Storytelling is an essential component of being different in the world of content writing. Practice freeing your imagination as often as you can.

“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.” – Albert Einstein

The Big Kumbaya in CyberSpace

Sharing and discussing content posts brings us together as one. Sharing ideas, answering and asking questions makes us all strong. Please take the time to share what works for you.

Thank you for taking time out to read this piece. Your time is greatly appreciated. To hear the rantings of other voices on the same subject:

Gerry Nason is a Senior Content Copywriter for HiP B2B. He also has extensive experience with generating high quality executive leads. Gerry worked for six years as the Producer & Director of a weekly music show, appearing on cable access TV in New England. During those six years, In Tune won 18 awards for video excellence.